Cable TV provider Comcast have revealed that they have increased their cable TV bills in the city of Boston (USA) for a second time in the space of 12 months (with the changes (an average hike of 2.9%) set to be put into action in February), in a move that they are trying to assure customers will not have an impact on many of them.

Some users in the regions that the hike is set to hit have already expressed their outrage over the rising prices, and claim that Internet TV is now looking like a much more cost-effective and viable alternative to cable’s increasing rates.

Comcast spokesperson Doreen Vigue said of the changes, and explained why they are being made: “The vast majority of our customers won’t [be affected], because they currently receive services as part of a promotional offer. We continue making investments in next-generation technology to add value to our products and improve service, and in just the last year alone we’ve added several channels, and launched new interactive applications and multi-platform content that customers want and value.”

Vigue summarised with how the update will affect customers in the Boston area, stating: “While we’ve worked hard to hold down price adjustments, the average customer bill will increase by 2.9 percent in the Greater Boston Region beginning with the February 2012 billing cycle because of the impact of higher programming costs and increased operating expenses.”

While Boston residents using Comcast might begin to get disillusioned despite what the provider is saying, will there be any large-scale defection to online services in the near future?

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Whilst the HBO Go service does not allow live streaming of channels, the latest shows will be available same day and archived content will also be available on the service.

Speaking in a joint statement, the two companies said that viewers “will have free, unlimited access to the corresponding online services at any time, on any computer in the U.S. with a high-speed Internet connection, as well as a host of other devices, including the iPad.”

Time Warner have indicated that the HBO Go and MAX Go will begin within the next month. The MAX Go service offered by HBO’s sister channel, Cinemax, has around 400 titles on offer.

The HBO Go is a response to the threat and growth of streaming companies such as Netflix.The TV Everywhere service lets HBO subscribers stream over 1400 programs via the web using computers, smartphones and tablet computers. The app has been downloaded over 5 million times.

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Cox TV app comes to iPad

The Live TV app called TV connect is currently for iPad only and can be downloaded free from the app Store. Subscribers then need to go through a verification process, and can then stream around 35 channels from their tablet as well as an on-screen TV guide.

Cox customers will need to be subscribed to the Cox Preferred, Premium or Ultimate package and the High Speed Internet service,  and also have a DOCSIS modem to get the streaming. Cox said in a statement, “The TV Connect application will continue to evolve and expand, adding even more value to our services while adding convenience through convergence.”

Many cable companies allow similar streaming via a ‘second screen’ at the subscribers household, Comcast, Time Warner, Cablevision and DirectTV have all launched live TV streaming apps for the iPad.

Cox had previously launched a rather lame Mobile Connect app for iPad, iPhone and Android devices that let subscribers manage DVR recordings and telephone services. This one is obviously much better but still does’nt deliver what subscribers really want, streaming access anywhere and downloadable content. The app can be downloaded from the app store.

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HBO like streaming, but only for cable subscribers

HBO co-president Eric Kessler talking at the VideoshmoozeNYC event yesterday said, “there is no chance his company will make its original programs like True Blood or The Wire available to non-cable subscribers.”

Currently HBO subscribers can use the HBO Go service to stream programming around the house, but the company obviously do not want a streaming only option a’la Netflix or Hulu Plus, or even allow those companies to license content.

As to the reason why they do not want to join the 21st century? Well, HBO believes that streaming only services such as Netflix and Hulu are in competition with HBO for the paying TV customers. So it seems that streaming as a complimentary service is ok, but streaming only is a big no-no.

Kessler dismissed cord cutting as a blip, saying it is a “temporary phenomenon” that will end when the economy improves.

A streaming only HBO could be a costly affair for the company if some of their 30 million plus subscribers decided to go for a cheaper streaming only option. Many already make use of the HBO Go app, and a cheaper streaming service could hit the turnover pretty badly.

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Verizon Fios streaming app comes to Xbox360

box users will need to be Live Gold members and need to download the Verizon FiOS TV Xbox app to get the streaming entertainment. Back in October Microsoft announced partnerships for “the next generation of TV entertainment on Xbox LIVE.”

They are teaming up with almost 40 TV and entertainment providers in 20 countries around the world including Bravo, Comcast, HBO GO, Verizon FiOS and Syfy for the US, The BBC for the UK, Spanish network Telefónica, Televisa in Mexico, ZDF in Germany, MediaSet in Italy and Rogers On Demand in Canada.

The launch comes just as the Xbox 360 dashboard gets a redesign on December 6, including new features such as cloud storage, integrated voice and gesture controls and social network options.

If you’re an existing Verizon subscriber then you will need to ring Verizon who will add the streaming service, but you will need an Xbox Live Gold subscription plus a FiOS TV and Internet subscription to get the free streaming.

For new users, Verizon are offering a special deal until next January for Xbox 360 owners. For $89.99 monthly users can get a triple play package consisting of TV, phone and internet access plus a free 12 month subscription to Xbox Live Gold, and the game, Xbox Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

The range of channels available at launch in December will include 26 streaming channels including seventeen in HD that can be controlled using the kinect motion and voice system. It’s a good move by Verizon and Microsoft as game consoles are the number one device to watch streaming TV.

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Google TV could be the base of a new cable TV service

The news which comes from the Wall Street Journal, reports that Google may be offering a high speed internet based cable TV service to  viewers in Missouri and Kansas City. The service is said to include phone as well as tv services.

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The term ‘timeshifted’ refers to shows viewed not at their original scheduled time, with the viewer instead opting for personal video recorders, DVR options, or catch-up services made available through the TV provider (up to seven days following the original broadcast). This would also include some of the newer on-demand ‘selected programming’ services such as Sky Anytime.

Looking at the 10 highest-rated TV channels in the UK, BARB discovered that drama (with 20%) is the genre of programming that viewers ‘timeshift’ the most. while soaps (16%), documentaries (15%) and entertainment shows (13%) also recorded above-average timeshift scores, thought in part to be due to the number of adverts in such programmes, and the lessened ‘need’ to watch it live, compared to genres such as sport and news.

Viewers with an enhanced recording service (such as Sky+ or Freeview+) made even greater use of their services, with drama shows on these platforms at a 32% timeshifted rate, while soaps, documentaries and entertainment all experienced similar levels of increases from non-’PVR’ figures.

Other statistics from BARB revealed the not-too surprising fact that young adults timeshift the most , as the 25-34 demographic registered a 16% of shows being watched on TV away from its schedule.

However, the urge to record a show might just be down to being busy at the time, or watching something else, as BARB claim that 48% of timeshifted viewing occurs on the same day as the show’s original airing, a method known by the researchers as VOSDAL (Viewing On The Same Day As Live). These figures, and the reasoning for it, shows that most on-demand viewing is used for catching up where a viewer couldn’t see a show earlier, suggesting that previous rumours of linear schedules dying out might not be as correct as it was thought before.

Meanwhile, TV viewers in Northern Ireland will need to start preparing for a digital switchover, as they become the final part of the UK’s process of updating analogue TV signals. The Northern Irish switchover will occur on 24 October 2012, and the announcement was marked by a ceremony in Belfast which saw the Albert Clock landmark reveal a digital display of the switchover date.

With the long-standing analogue era almost over, how will viewers react to the completion of the digital switchover, and will the service fare better now that there will be no focus on analogue?

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Roku LT $49 and purple

The latest Roku 2 range was launched in August and came in three versions, starting at $60 for the Roku 2 HD, $80 for the Roku 2 XD, and $100 for the Roku 2 XS. The new Roku LT costs a lower price at $49 and is pretty similar to the Roku HD, but with a couple of omissions.

The LT streams at 720p resolution instead of 1080p, has no bluetooth or micro SD slot, oh.. And it’s purple.

The Roku range are already very cheap in a world where $100-200 is the standard price, but do we really need a $10 cheaper version?

The Roku range gives the viewer accees to over 300 streaming channels that include Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon amongst others.

The new streaming HBO GO service is in essence exactly the same product as the mobile app, which streams the latest TV shows and movies, so long as your a subscriber.

Pricing and availability for non-subscribers is yet to be announced. HBO GO will be appear on all Roku players in late October, and will be available on the Roku LT when the box ships early November.

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Viewers love online streaming at the expense of cable

According to the 1500 respondents of the study, in the last six months viewing video on their computer grew by 26%, watching on a mobile device grew by 19% and watching video on game consoles grew 18%. The growth in web watching had to come from somewhere, and the loss is being felt by cable companies as the study showed that watching cable TV fell by 9% in the period

The migration online is not confined to the younger generation either, average age for web viewers is 33 and both male/female, and most are college educated. The time that most viewers watch is during the 8-11 PM primetime slot, second popular time was 6-8 PM.

Speaking about the study, Dina Kaplan, co-founder of Blip.tv said, “It’s clear from the research that web series fans are beginning to watch less television, while at the same time increasing the amount of content consumed on the web. It’s also significant that our viewers are more accepting of advertisements on web series, perhaps because fans are grateful to the advertiser for making the show possible.”

The study also looked at viewers’ attitudes toward online advertising and showed that Advertising is accepted more for for original oweb content than for television streaming. 43% of Blip.tv’s audiences reacted positively to pre-roll ads on original online series, compared to 30% who reacted positively to pre-roll advertising on television content online.

Blip.tv had a recent overhaulof their website to try and turn it into an online destination for original web TV shows, aggregated content and independent web only shows, series and webisodes.

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With this 23rd series set to feature the comedy’s 500th episode milestone, discussions on where to fit the show’s mass archive have already begun, with the most popular suggestion from executives seeming to be granting the Matt Groening-created format a cable network of its own, featuring 100% content from the yellow town of Springfield back-to-back.

While it is unknown if such an idea could be sustainable in the 24/7 format mooted in recent days (even with 500 episodes, all the content would have been screened once each within 10 days), there are several ways that the network proposal could become viable, such as featuring related shows (such as Matt Groening’s other sitcom Futurama), or what many channels do to fill out their schedule, teleshopping (paid programming).

News Corp’s COO Chase Carey first made a public suggestion of a Simpsons Channel last week, and later elaborated on his initial speech, stating: “The point I was making, which I will reemphasize, is that this is a unique franchise…and it provides us a unique opportunity to do some interesting things with it. The Simpsons has been on the air for 23 seasons, yielding a library of programming few series could ever amass. I wouldn’t say we’re drawing up plans to have a Simpsons channel, but, you know, there are a lot of Simpsons fans out there. That said, syndication agreements already in place would prevent anything like that from happening for the next 12 months at least.”

Since premiering as a prime-time animated sitcom in 1989 (a move that was unheard of in the era), The Simpsons has been a worldwide cultural phenomenon in the 22 years it has been on-air, and while many critics will claim that its best years are behind it, the series manages to maintain a decent level of ratings, and has lasted long enough to be listed as the 5th-longest (scripted) TV series of all-time, and not including two shows run by wrestling entertainment series WWE, the 3rd-longest production show (behind Gunslinger (633 episodes) and Lassie (588 episodes)).

While News Corp’s predictions put this new type of idea (a channel dedicated to one show) on hold for between one and five years (due to syndication rights), it is certainly one that has thrust The Simpsons back into the public spotlight just as new episodes are airing. If Fox follow through on their plans, how will viewers react to a yellow-only network?

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Anyplay service picture courtesy Macrumors

The app which will not be a rebranded Xfinity TV app, but will run alongside it is said to be under construction. The story was broken by macrumors who  the service will let Comcast subscribers watch live cable TV from their iPad with the proviso that the iPad uses a Motorola wifi router supplied by Comcast. The service will not work using alternative Wi-Fi or wireless connections.

Comcast do have an existing iPad and Android Xfinity TV app available which allows users access to On-Demand content, browse TV listings and control the DVR and TV set.

AnyPlay will differ as content does not need to be recorded or watched catch-up style. But can instead be watched live with the cable broadcast. AnyPlay will also be able to show some programming included in a user’s current Xfinity service.

It is said that the Comcast AnyPlay service will allow viewers to register up to 10 tablets (who has 10 iPads??), but only a single device can watch live TV at one time. Launch date is not known, but expect Comcast to make it a limited availability at first.

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Time Warner on the aquisition trail

The $3 billion deal will help TW gain new customers in the Midwest US and cut costs on staff and infrastructure. The deal would add 700,000 TV subscribers and 540,000 data subscribers. Insight who are based in New York, are the ninth biggest US cable operator, with 679,700 basic video customers in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio.

Although Cable TV remains the biggest earner for Time Warner accounting for 56% of the company’s $4.9 billion revenue in the second quarter, high-speed broadband takeup is rising whilst TV subscribers are falling.

Speaking for TW, CEO Glenn Britt said,”Clearly the relative importance of the video business has declined over time,” he continued, “I think broadband clearly is becoming the anchor service.”

In the last quarter, Time Warner Cable lost 124,000 subscribers. The loss of subscribers is being officially blamed by cable companies on the weak economy, but the growth of internet streaming from companies such as Hulu and Netflix are secretly worrying the industry.

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Talking to investors about Disney’s 3rd quarter results, CEO Bob Iger said “the studio is in discussions with Netflix and other SVOD players about licensing largely library catalog compared to new-release movies or current season TV programming”.

“Our overall approach of late has been to make deals that increase revenue while at the same time protect and respect the multi-channel or channel distribution value that we see today,” Iger added.

“There is clearly a thirst for filmed entertainment, particularly branded high-quality entertainment, and what we’re seeing, I think stimulated in part by not only higher connectivity speeds but significant development in tablet computers, we’re looking at platforms that are creating all types of new business opportunities,” Iger continued.

The CEO said that moving forward the studio would move away from long term licensing agreements due to the rapidly evolving distribution channels and technology.

“We will make access to newer programming more difficult or later, except if a customer is authenticated as a cable or satellite TV subscriber,” he said. “I think you’ll see over the next few years a lot of deals done that enable this. We now have to hope that not only is the technology improved that enables authentication but that the whole user experience gets better.”

“It is our intention to take a very careful look at what films cost and if we can’t get them to a level that we are comfortable with, we think that we are better off actually reducing the size of our slate than making films that are bigger and increasingly more risky,” he said.

Iger also said the aim of the studio was on production costs of movies versus internal structuring within the studio operations.

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The data comes from the market research company IHS who have suggested that in 2015 the main forms of non linear TV programming, like VOD and DVR, would only account for 15.8% of TV viewing in the USA. This would reflect an increase from 9.9% in 2010, the usual linear programming would account for the rest of it.

The report also shows that the usage of on demand services is trailing behind DVRs. At the close of 2015, DVRs will reach almost half of all American households. The use of on demand services, currently, is going to be hampered by content fragmentation and restrictions across different portals and services.

“Linear TV has not stood still as non-linear distribution mechanisms have developed,” Richard Broughton, senior analyst of TV at IHS said. “Alongside the evolution of Internet video and DVR technology, broadcasters have introduced HD channels, now received by more than 40% of US households.”

“In contrast, the Internet in many markets still struggles to cope with HD content and the high bandwidths required for its delivery. Streaming HD remains relatively rare, and downloading takes time, diminishing the appeal for consumers,” Richard Broughton concluded.

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A key proponent of this increase in income is thought to be the deal made by Comcast half a year ago to purchase production company NBC Universal, giving themselves a further platform on which to operate. Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts recently said of that deal: “our timing was just right.”

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The service first premiered in the begining of 2010, and currently offers a selection of HBO’s movies and all past episodes of HBO’s original series to subscribers through web browsers, as well as iOS and Android apps.

But GigaOm reports that Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes confirmed in a company earnings call that the service would soon be expanding to consoles and connected TVs

The HBO Go service is currently only available to cable subscribers with an active HBO subscription, which must be confirmed online through the cable service provider.

The current HBO app has been a great success, with over 3 million downloads in under 2 months.

Details on which consoles would be getting access to the service have not yet been disclosed.

Video game consoles have become a popular method for watching on demand internet video in recent years, with half of all Netflix subscribers reportedly using a console to view the service’s streaming content, according to a recent Nielsen survey.

Subscribers to the Hulu Plus service can also stream TV shows and movies using the Xbox 360 and PS3 systems, though the service seems to have seen less use from console owners than Netflix does.

Game console owners are already well catered for online TV, Microsoft and Sony also have TV shows and movies to download for a fee through their online marketplaces.

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Shaw competing with Netflix?

The movie streaming service, called Movie Club costs existing subscribers $12 monthly for unlimited movie and TV show streaming on PC or TV. If users want to watch movies in HD then the price is $17.99 monthly.

But the clincher for some is that movies streamed will not count against a subscriber’s monthly Internet data caps. Netflix users do not have such a luxury included in their $7.99 monthly streaming charge.

Speaking for Shaw Communications, president Peter Bissonnette told the Calgary Herald, “There should be some advantage to you being a customer.”

He also said, “The Shaw Movie Club is the result of listening to our customers and delivering products that fit their needs and the way they use technology.”

More on this story:-

Shaw launches Netflix rival – Montreal Gazette

Shaw said that movies streamed using its own service will not count against a subscribers monthly Internet data caps unlike movies streamed from competing outlets like Netflix. …

Shaw Movie Club versus Netflix: A comparison – Vancouver Sun (blog)

Its a market Netflix introduced to Canada but Shaw has fired a devastating salvo at Netflix in its fight for movie subscribers. Netflix livestreams over the Internet which uses up bandwidth. Shaw has bandwidth caps but Shaw Movie Club subscribers …

Shaw roll outs out unlimited movie service to compete with Netflix – CanadianBusiness.com

B) has launched an all-you-can eat movie club to combat the popularity of online competitor Netflix an effort keep its cable subscribers from considering cutting the cord. The multimedia company announced Friday that its new Shaw Movie Club will …

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With services such as Freeview, Sky, and Virgin Media all included in the defenition of ‘Digital TV’ the latest instalment of the media regulator’s Digital Progress Report, 83.3% of all UK TV sets are now on the digital bandwagon as the ‘digital switchover’ continues across the British Isles.

This means that for the 6.9% of homes (and 16.7% of sets) that are yet to convert from the traditional analogue, a move will have to be made soon to avoid being frozen out by regular TV channels, as analogue becomes phased out as part of the official switchover.

While the difference between full houses and single sets not recieving analogue is probably due to many older models being kept as spares or in storage and not being prioritised for upgrading, there is gradual improvement in the world of ‘non-main’ sets, as Ofcom also report that 75.7% of all the UK’s listed ’secondary TV’s’ have been upgraded to digital signals (as of the study end-date in March), a rise of 5.2% from the preceding year’s figures on the same period in 2010.

Amongst a selection of more detailed statistics, Ofcom discovered that digital terrestrial television users (mainly from Freeview in the form of set-top boxes and ‘integrated digital TV sets’) now number 10.1m homes listed as a primary service (accounting for nearly 40% of all households), with many more purchased as secondary sets.

Other figures put Freesat on over 2m, while, pay-TV satellite broadcasting rival Sky added over 377,000 new subscribers their service, bringing their total to 10.1m similar to Freeview. Virgin Media’s cable TV service rounded out the big-name providers on 3.8m total customers.

Ofcom have been producing the Digital Progress Report for over 8 years now, and in that time considerable progress has been seen on the digital conversion front. But with the digital switchover soon to be forcing analogue users to change their traditional  will later figures show an even steeper increase?

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Cord cutting not to be feared just yet.

The study by J.D. Power and Associates did come out with some interesting trends in the TV market. Titled – 2011 U.S. Residential Pay-to-View Study, the study was based on questions answered by 6,815 US homes in April 2011.

Consumers rated Pay TV satisfaction across six factors, including variety of content, ease of use, customer service, billing, price and promotions. Overall pay-TV satisfaction averaged 743 on a 1,000-point scale. Netflix and Redbox also scored very high among pay-TV subscribers.

that evaluated usage of video providers including Amazon, Apple TV, Blockbuster/Blockbuster Express, Google TV, Hulu and Hulu Plus, local video stores, Netflix and Redbox. The study was fielded in April 2011.

Cord cutting is more prevalent in younger people and diminishes as the age range grows. 6% of consumers aged 17-24 have dropped pay TV, 4% of  age 35-46, 2% of age 47-65 and just 1% of age 66 to 86 the study showed.

Said J.D. Powers director of telecommunications research, Frank Perazzini:- “The predictions of the demise of television subscription service as we know it are clearly premature,”

He said that although alternative viewing methods are growing in popularity, traditional TV is here for a few years at least. He said, “The popularity of services such as Netflix and Redbox is a clear indication that consumers are enjoying the availability of alternative viewing options. However, with 52% of television customers reporting that they still watch regularly scheduled programming as it is broadcast, the current model will remain viable for the next two to three years, at a minimum.”

The study also showed that mobile TV is an increasingly popular way of watching TV and video. 27% of respondents said they watch videos on a mobile handheld mobile device, such as a tablet or smartphone.

The mobile phone was most popular device for this task with 15% followed by tablets with 12% and music players 12%.

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HBO are getting online, but others are not so keen.

A new report by ABI Research says that while the cord cutters are still a small number, pay TV operators have to adapt and work with internet video, or the threat may become much bigger.

Out of 2000 respondents from the US, a massive 90% have a subscription to a pay service. This shows that the best range of content still comes from this area.

Jason Blackwell, practice director of ABI says that sports and movies are still a big draw. He said,  “Some programming, such as sports and premium content, is still pay-TV centric, even with TV Everywhere initiatives.”

When it comes to connected TV, respondents who have a connected device are watching between 7-8 hours of online content every week. The report says that the pay-TV operators should get into this new market while it still can.

Blackwell continued, “Now is the time for pay-TV operators to act. Currently the services on connected CE platforms are commanded by a few early leaders. Netflix and YouTube, for instance, are the clear consumer favorites for online video, while the divide is even greater for social networking where Facebook captures 97 percent of social networkers on CE devices (compared to 32 percent for MySpace, the next closest competitor).”

Some companies such as HBO have embraced the market with their HBO Go service which had 1 million downloads in the first week. Others such as Comcast and others are still tip-toeing around the market. Maybe the report will get their online department working a little harder.

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Cable TV slowing down thanks to online and satellite

The report by Digital TV Research, called the World Revenue Forecasts report, says that Pay TV revenue will grow to $173 billion in 2016, a rise of $49 billion from 2006. But the rise from 2010 will be a much lower $18 billion, showing a much slower growth.

When it comes to online TV content, On-demand will grow quicker than subscriptions but will still only hit $5.7 billion (or 3.3% of the total) by 2016.

The report says that Cable TV will subs will drop this year, revenue will drop by $7 billion between the years 2010-2016 to $69 billion. It is not all bad news though as cable will sell more bundle deals including phone etc.

Author of the research Simon Murray said of the move to bundled TV packages, “Subscription revenues will stutter as more homes convert to bundles, thus reducing TV-related income.”

By the end of 2011, cable TV revenue will be surpassed by satellite TV, he added, whilst revenue from the internet on-demand websites will grow at a “much faster” rate than returns generated from subscription payments.

IPTV revenues will climb to USD 17 billion in 2016, up from $6 billion in 2010 and less than $1 billion in 2006. The US will be top IPTV income country and take a quarter of the revenue in 2016.

More on this story:-

Satellite TV revenues to overtake cable this year – Broadband TV News

IPTV revenues will climb to $17 billion in 2016 up from $6 billion in 2010 and less than $1 billion in 2006. The US will remain the largest IPTV revenue earner by taking a quarter of the 2016 total (down from a third in 2010). Pay DTT revenues reached …

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In fact many customers of cable services are going as far as downgrading their current subscriptions in order to accommodate the likes of Netflix to their viewing habits.

A study indicates that while frequent visitors to Netflix are more likely to fully cancel or “cord cutting” other pay services, 32% of cable users surveyed intend to downgrade or cancel.

Michael Greeson, director of research and founding partner at TDG (The Diffusion Group, the company responsible for the latest study), said of the findings: “Despite its rhetorical positioning, both Netflix and pay-TV operators have long been aware that there will come a point at which its services are not only dilutive to regular TV viewing, but antithetical to pay-TV subscription levels. The question for realistic observers has been not if this will occur but when. According to our latest research, that time is upon us.”

In other news, Netflix has also been announced as an additional feature for the upcoming Nintendo Wii U games console, as well as the current Nintendo 3DS, symbolising a growing partnership with the Japanese video games giant.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said of the Wii U, and the involvement of Netflix: “A number of the videogame genres will be for male audiences, and the male audiences will increase, but on the other hand, this device is capable of many other things. On this device you can see video streams of Netflix, or you can use in conjunction with the TV. Regardless of the gender, you may want to use it… Our hope is it will be equal number of males and females who will be interested in this device.”

With plenty to look forward to in the coming months for Netflix users, and the gradual advancement of the online video service reaching a number of platforms, will it soon be a case of having to count the major electronical consumer entertainment products that Netflix are not involved with?

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Skype on Comcast

Subscribers who have the new Comcast service, can make HD video calls on Skype through their television screen. It will mean extra equipment for the job such as webcam and keyboard etc. It is expected the service will be part of Comcast’s subscription payment.

Neil Smit, President of Comcast Cable said, “Our unique relationship with Skype not only will change how our customers interact with their TV, but also will create new and meaningful ways to bring our customers closer to the people they care about.”

He continued, “TV has evolved into a social experience, and Comcast and Skype will be delivering a product that personalizes the TV experience even more, and brings friends and family together through the biggest screen in their homes.”

Microsoft are proposing buying Skype for $8 billion. With the new Comcast-Skype partnership, Microsoft would gain another entry into television and delivering software into people’s living rooms via cloud computing. Currently, Microsoft’s most succesful product for television is its Xbox 360 video game console.

The downside is that it does seem that the service will not allow users to call, or receive from phone numbers, but will be for Skype-to-Skype calls and messaging

The service should also let users jump from TV to mobile phone or tablet using Comcast’s Xfinity Mobile app. It is expected that Comcast will begin tests for the service in the next few months. Costs and availability are still unknown.

Incoming TV searches:

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Online streaming from suddenlink2Go

Suddenlink are one of the top seven cable operators in the US and has around 1.5 million customers.

The online service called Suddenlink2GO, includes content from HBO, Turner Broadcasting System and Hulu and features shows from Turner Broadcasting’s TBS, TNT, truTV, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. All available )like catch-up TV) within 24 hours of broadcasting.

To access content, viewers will find a Watch TV – New! link on the home page of suddenlink.net, which takes you to all of that online TV goodness.

Suddenlink’s chief marketing and sales officer, Jerry Dow said:- “Today’s announcement is just the beginning. We are actively working to expand both the diversity of content and the number of technologies from which that content can be accessed, including popular mobile devices such as smart phones and the iPad.”

Viewers can watch the free content without signing in, but will need a subscription to watch Turner Networks’ TBS, TNT, truTV, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim content.

Incoming TV searches:

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Cord cutters moving to cheaper online content

The phone survey compiled by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), was carried out in December 2010 using 1,256 adult respondents.

CEA called out the findings on over-the-air households, noting that currently 8% of all U.S. TV households rely on broadcast TV. That represents some 9 million homes, a number that has been steadily declining since 2005, according to the group.

When it comes to cutting the cord during the next 12 months, 10% said they are “likely” or “very likely” to cut the cord. However 76% were “unlikely” or “very unlikely” to cancel subscription TV and 14% said they were “somewhat likely” or “somewhat unlikely”.

Cable and satellite are most popular (80%) for watching TV. Blu-ray and DVD got 72%, video-on-demand that is free got 45%, DVR was 41%, paid VOD and pay-per-view sources got 33%.

When it comes to watching TV online, respondents liked free stuff. YouTube had 31%. Free to view internet source, Hulu got 27%. Then came pay online sources like Netflix with 22%.

CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro said, “Contrary to the National Association of Broadcasters’ assertions, antenna sales are falling and cord-cutters are not shifting to over-the-air television but rather to the Internet. The only cord being cut these days is the one to the antenna.”

However, not everyone agrees with the results. Notably those with a vested interest in keeping pay-TV popular. But it can only be a matter of time before online becomes good enough and attractive enough to entice those high paying subscribers away.

Read full report here.

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